Archaeology & Religion Honors, Awards, Scholarships & Achievements

Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society Graduate Fellowships

The Religion and Archaeology programs at Lycoming College have had outstanding students through the years. In recent years, the following students have earned fellowships from the prestigious national honor society, Phi Kappa Phi:

2010 Graduate Fellowship awarded to Britta Spaulding

2008 Graduate Fellowship nomination to Kelly Szpara

2007 Graduate Fellowship awarded to Lindsay Vosburg

2007 Travel Fellowships awarded to Kirsten Darby and Kyle Kissell

College & Departmental Prizes & Awards

The Faculty Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Religion and Archaeology presented to a graduating senior demonstrating outstanding academic performance and achieving the highest departmental grade point average in Archaeology and Religion (with a $100 cash prize attached)

The Eduardo Guerra Prize in Biblical Languages is awarded to a student demonstrating excellent academic performance and achieving the highest overall score in 1st year Biblical Greek or Hebrew (with a $50 book prize attached)

2012 - Isaiah Spires, Greek

2011 - Kaitlyn Gross and Isaiah Spires, Hebrew

2010 - Teresa Tickle, Greek

2009 - Melissa Erlick and Kirstin Rose, Hebrew

2008 - Amber Aschwanden and Britta Spaulding, Greek

2007 - Marcella Barbosa, Hebrew

2006 - Kelly Szpara, Greek

2005 - Peter Via, Hebrew

2004 - Katherine Kressler and Kent Hayden, Greek

2003 - Michele Burns, Hebrew

2002 - Laura Taylor, Greek

2001 - Holly Lehnig, Hebrew

2000 - Marcus Myers, Greek

The McDowell Scholarship is given to the senior ministerial student who excels in scholarship, deportment, and promise of usefulness, and who declares an intention to make ministry his or her life work

2012 - Josh Davinsizer

2011 - Casandra "Casey" Raudenbush

2010 - Rebecca Schoeneberger

2009 - Joshua Knappenberger

2007 - Kent Hayden and Sarah Hughes

2005 - Cynthia Betz

2004 - Ann Runnels and Edward Hunter

2003 - Steve Sharp and Emily Mingle

2002 - Dwaine Krebs

Departmental Honors

2012 - Josh Davinsizer, Religion

2012 - Denyse Walters, Archaeology

2007 - Meghan Strong, Archaeology

The Chieftain Award

In 2010, Ian Shepherd received Lycoming College's most prestigious prize - the Chieftain Award. In keeping with his character, however, "Shade" felt more deeply honored by receiving the Ethel McDonald Pax Christi Award, which is given to a student "For outstanding but quiet consistency in the life of faith and the practice of Christianity, noteworthy personal integrity, and humble loving compassion expressed in daily life."

Contested for the First Time in over 50 Years -

The M.B. Rich Prizes to be given to two students who at a public contest excel in reading the scriptures; and to two students who excel in writing and delivering an original oration

2012 - Josh Davinsizer, Scripture Reading

2012 - Victoria Yuskaitis, Scripture Reading

2012 - Taylor Kendra, Original Oration

Another opportunity for students with a special interest in ethics (like what about the ethics of digging up 4,000-yr-old graves?) is the Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics - an annual essay contest for college juniors and seniors sponsored by the Elie Wiesel Foundation.

Archaeology Related Scholars Seminar Topics

Fall 2002: the Middle East

Fall 2006: the Romans

Fall 2009: War (the ancient ones being great for archaeologists)!

Fall 2012: the Mayans

The National Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi presents a wonderful opportunity to be recognized for high achievement and involved nationally with some impressive programs, including travel scholarships for study abroad (which can also include a summer archaeological dig).

In 2006, Lycoming College established a chapter of Theta Alpha Kappa, the National Honor Society for Theology and Religious Studies (Lycoming chapter Alpha Theta Gamma).

Internships

Students will have opportunity to gain hands-on work experience by participating in internship programs, either with a local archaeologist (through the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, or as listed above), with a local historical museum (such as the Lycoming County Historical Museum in Williamsport), or with other major historical museums, art museums having more extensive Classical or Ancient Near Eastern collections, or museums of natural history or anthropology.

In 2002, Shannon Wilson did a summer internship at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh; in 2004, Jessica Kaiser did a summer internship at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, teaching and giving tours for a summer camp for teens; Lee Zelewicz did a summer internship at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (Research Training Program) in Washington, D.C.; Jessie Martin did summer internships at the Vanderbilt Museum on Long Island and the Museum of Natural History in New York City; Ashley Becker worked for the Blair County Historical Society; Sean Reese and Lee Zelewicz taught a short classes in Archaeology for the Lycoming College for Kids and Teens; Lindsay Vosburg interned at the Cairo Museum in Egypt; Nathan Ott and Britta Spaulding did summer internships at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester NY; Robert Holmes interned at the Higgins Museum and Armory in Worcester, Mass. Victoria Parker interned at a historical museum in New York. Denyse Walters interned at the University of Arizona Museum of Art and the Buick Automotive Gallery and Research Center, Flint, Michigan. Adam Miller interned at Pine Street United Methodist Church in Williamsport. Congratulations!